Chair's update: August

Tom Walker, Chair

The stained glass windows in Abney Park's historic chapel. The windows were designed by Piotr Frac, and local children gave their input through workshops. Photo credit: Hackney Council

Abney is the coolest place in Hackney. If you are seeking refuge from the heat there is nowhere better, and it is living proof of the power of urban cooling.

We need your help. We are still looking for a Treasurer. This is a great volunteer role for anyone with a calculator and a few hours a month to spare. There must be someone who knows someone who might like to help. Email us if you want to find out more.

We've done a couple of great things this month:

- We had our community open day and raised £300 and met a whole load of neighbours, regular users and passers by. 30 people joined the free history walk by local expert Alan Gartrell. Alan generously gives his time and knowledge for free and we are very grateful. We are planning another open day for September.

- We are very nearly there with Mrs Graham's memorial. We've had a very generous pledge from the Balloon Association and another cheque from a generous donor. We now need just a few hundred pounds to hit our total. We have commissioned the work now and will be planning a launch for later in the autumn. Thanks to everyone who has made a contribution and to our team who have helped progress this.

Elsewhere, regular visitors and social media followers will have seen that the stained glass windows have been installed – and you can see a photo above. They are still obscured by the scaffold, but the council-led and National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported project is moving along stage by stage. The Church Street gates remain closed, so if you want to visit do come by the High Street entrance. There are great local cafes at that end including Hackney 215 and The Yellow Warbler, and the grocers Nature N16 who often help us out.

Finally, we were delighted to receive a visit from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission recently. The Commission provides funding for the Trust to maintain the hundreds of war graves in the cemetery.

Thanks for you support.